:: San Miguel Bicycle Alliance :: 319 Adams Ranch Road # 1501 - Telluride, CO 81435 >>info@telluridesmba.org<<
Latest News
10.06.10 Lap details for Fall Tilt Race Runs up:
09.26.10 76,000 vertical feet and 152 miles of descending in 12 hours. 
The Fall Tilt Race was a success for those that made it. After 12 hours of intense abuse to bikes and bodies alike it came down to seconds at the finish line. In the open men duo team category, Trevor Martin of Telluride and Cliff Pinto of Durango held on to their lead by a miniscule 11 seconds ahead of the Paragon Sports Team of Milan Geis and Daniel Goss. Ryan Sutton, the man from Crested Butte claimed his victory only minutes behind the duo teams completing all 76 laps by himself. Behind him was an even more heated battle between Gary Dye of Telluride and Sadhu Low of Sedona. Gary, taking second place only two seconds ahead of Sadhu with a total of 73 laps each.
Results are posted below with lap details to come.
Thanks again to all the supporters and sponsors of the 2nd annual Fall Tilt Endurance Downhill Race!
09.15.10 A weekend of endurance cycling is upon us.
Mountains To Desert
In its seventh year, the M2D ride takes off for a new destination. Instead of the usual finish in Moab, UT the ride will conclude at the Gateway Canyons Resort, just shy of the Utah border. The race takes place on Saturday, September 25th with participants having the choice of starting in either Telluride for a 105 mile ride or in Norwood for a just over 70 mile ride. Riders also have the option to either end at the Gateway Canyons Resort or pedal an additional 15 miles up to and back from the Gateway Summit Aid Station for a total of 135 miles.
The ride benefits the Just For Kids Foundation, a nonprofit group that seeks to empower the youth of the San Miguel Watershed region and assist the organizations and individuals that serve youth through financial and moral support. The Bill Carstens family will match all funds raised up to $80,000.
For more information regarding the Mountains to Desert ride, visit their website: Mountains To Desert Ride
Telluride/Mountain Village Fall Tilt 12 hour Endurance Downhill race
In its second year running Mountain Village Bike Park hosts what may be the most challenging 12 hour endurance Downhill event to go on record. The event begins with course training starting on Friday, September 24th with the 12 hours of racing beginning at 8:00am sharp Saturday morning.
This year, instead of running running the 12 minute ride up Lift 4 the event is set to showcase the prominent feature of its bike park - free, green transportation. The race will be held using the countries only free gondola system that provides access to the only free bike park in the country. The Gondola runs on electricity generated by wind power taking riders from the bottom of the race course to the top in a mere 5 minutes. Combine that with a mind blowing 3 minute decent down the World Cup course and riders will be approaching and possibly surpassing the 70 laps mark.
Volunteers are needed for both days of the event. Check the Fall Tilt web page for more information or if you would like to volunteer.
Valley Floor Trail Planing
On Thursday, September 6th, The
Town of Telluride released preliminary maps for possible trail routes to be added to the valley floor. The goal is to add a handful of non obtrusive singletrack trails that will reduce user conflict and offer additional opportunities that do not exist in our area. Of course we have a wide variety of hiking and biking trails, but when you break those down, how many easy to moderate hikes do we have? Few to none, depending on which mode of transportation you choose. The trails that are in consideration for the Valley Floor are aimed to offer educational experiences for hikers and easy beginner trail terrain for mountain bikers.
In working closely with the Ecological Resources Consultants and ERO Resources Corporation with the design of these trails, we can be certain to route these trails in the best possible manner to avoid much if not all sensitive wildlife areas. We can do this and still end up with an enjoyable piece of landscape that will remain forever wild. We will post links to the preliminary maps as they are made available by the town.
08.10.10 Full Tilt is back! The Town of Mountain Village needs course marshal volunteers for the upcoming Full Tilt mountain bike races on August 20-22. Hours are 8-6 Friday, 8-6 Saturday, and 8-4 on Sunday. Half day shifts are also available. Saturday needs more volunteers than other days. Volunteers working over four hours will get a t-shirt and lunch. If you are interested, please contact Deanna Drew at (970) 369-8236.
Lizard Head Hill Climb results and times are up! Thanks to all for coming out and suffering the gnar with us! Thanks to CJ Timing for keeping track of how long we all suffered! Don't forget tonight there is a free screening of The Triplets of Bellville. Donations for the Telluride Townies program will be accepted. The film screening is free and open to all ages!
06.14.10 San Miguel Bicycle Alliance public gathering on Wednesday the 16th!
Join us Wednesday afternoon and learn about the momentum we have created for cycling and mountain biking in Telluride. We'll be discussing current and upcoming projects that are already in the works as well as opening up for discussion of any other projects you would like to see become a reality. Looking forward to a great season of riding and building. We'll be meeting at Oak St. Plaza, at the X-Cafe 6:00pm. Hope to see you there!
Bike Week is here!
Well almost, June 20 marks the beginning of bike week. Some new events have been added and the classics should be as good as ever! Check our calendar for a complete schedule and details.
Event overview:
Proclamations by Mtn. Village, Telluride and San Miguel County governments
6/20 Trail Maintenance - MV Bike Park - Meet top of the gondola @ 9:00
or 12:00. Volunteers welcome.
6/21 Jr. Bike Rides for young folks - 1:00 pm.
6/22 Lizard Head Pass Hill Climb - Meet Ophir turn - 6:00.
6/23 Colorado Bike to Work day - drop mileage off at any Boot Doctors
location so carbon calculations can be completed.
6/23 Triplets of Bellville: a movie at the Wilkinson Public Library -
6:00 pm.
6/24 Mtn. Bike Clinics: men & women- all abilities - Oak st. Boot
doctors - 5:30 PM
6/25 Downhill and Freeride bike clinic and demo at the bike park meet
at Telluride Sports at the village core- 10:00 am.
6/25 The TOT Annual Marshals Bike Auction Youth Link @ 3:00 PM
6/26 Bike Maintenance Clinics - Boot Doctors Oak St. and MV - 9-1:00 BBQ
and Electric Bike Demos. 1-3:00 Sponsored by Boot Doctors. Plz. RSVP by
Th. 6/24 5:00
Trail updates:
The Mountain Village Bike Park opened this weekend with a strong group of 30 riders constantly flowing down the tacky trails. All trails are open and more are being routed for construction. Don't forget to check out the insane new rental bikes at both BootDoctors and Telluride Sports in the Village plaza. Now you can travel here with nothing but a sturdy pair of shoes and be set up with everything you need to attack the downhill trails!
Prospect trail is on hold as always until July 1st for elk calving.
Village trail has some water damage in the first few corners, please ride with caution. We will be repairing the damage as soon as we can get it coordinated.
06.09.10 Mountain Village Bike Park Scheduled to open Monday, June 14th
The trails are just about dry with only a few things to fix up before we let everyone loose. Also, this week we'll be looking at the Village Trail in hopes that we can open it on Monday as well. We look forward to seeing you out there, keep an eye on our calendar for upcoming trail work days.
05.25.10 The cycling season has finally arrived!
With the snow receding we are gearing up for a busy season full of projects.
First on the list: the Mountain Village Bike Park is ready for volunteers for many new projects! Starting June 1st we will be prepping all of our existing trails for a mid June opening date. This work includes some minimal trail maintenance and repair work as well as a few connector trail projects. At this time we will also be planning for trail expansion projects to seamlessly roll into new trail construction as the park opens.
Second: the Village and Prospect Trails have received approval for completion! Construction will begin as early as mid June. We'll be sure to keep you posted as dates are clarified.
If you are interested in helping in any of the above projects, contact Trevor to coordinate dates, times etc.
12.24.09 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at SMBA!
Local Updates & Spring Planning
Galloping Goose at Lawson Hill:
Lead by the San Miguel County Open Space and Recreation Program, SMBA is supporting their quest for grant monies to connect the Galloping Goose Trail to the recently completed underpass at Society Turn. This additional trail, amounting to about one mile would include the construction of two bridges and become a critical connection between the Goose and all other local trail networks. It also provides a safe connection linking the ball field to the Mountain School, allowing for safe commute for the children.
Congressional Bill aimed at easier expansion of summer activities at ski areas:
Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz testified before he U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands in Washington to tell members to back the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2009, or House Bill 2476, sponsored by Colorado's Rep. Diana DeGette. Katz argued that, "Ski areas are the perfect place to accommodate these large numbers of forest visitors, and not just in the winter.
While ski areas inspire appreciation for the natural environment, they're also developed areas that are accessible and convenient for visitors." Lauren Glendenning - Vail Daily, Full Story
If the Bill is passed, it is hopeful for ski areas to further develop summer recreation such as mountain bike parks and alpine slides. A positive result being the use of existing infrastructure to accommodate a large number of forest visitors in a manageable way. Being that these ski resorts sit on highly disturbed areas of national forests, it makes ecological sense to develop these areas for summer uses, rather than impacting other areas of more untamed wilderness for mountain activities like downhill mountain biking. This in the long run keeps national forest trails outside the resort boundaries more secluded and peaceful for those that are "getting away from it all."
On the Boards for Spring 2010:
We have several projects in the works for next year. So many in fact we have created a new page to list them all out. Here is a brief overview of what is on tap for 2010:
Construction & Completion of the O'Rileys Trail
Connecting the Prospect and Village Trails with the Village Core
Mapping and signage in the Alta Lakes Basin
Planning and construction of Phase II of the Mountain Village Bike Park
Mill Creek Bridge - Re-visit/Re-design
Assisting the US Forest Service in local trail maintenance.
06.14.10 San Miguel Bicycle Alliance public gathering on Wednesday the 16th!
Join us Wednesday afternoon and learn about the momentum we have created for cycling and mountain biking in Telluride. We'll be discussing current and upcoming projects that are already in the works as well as opening up for discussion of any other projects you would like to see become a reality. Looking forward to a great season of riding and building. We'll be meeting at Oak St. Plaza, at the X-Cafe 6:00pm. Hope to see you there!
Bike Week is here!
Well almost, June 20 marks the beginning of bike week. Some new events have been added and the classics should be as good as ever! Check our calendar for a complete schedule and details.
Event overview:
Proclamations by Mtn. Village, Telluride and San Miguel County governments
6/20 Trail Maintenance - MV Bike Park - Meet top of the gondola @ 9:00
or 12:00. Volunteers welcome.
6/21 Jr. Bike Rides for young folks - 1:00 pm.
6/22 Lizard Head Pass Hill Climb - Meet Ophir turn - 6:00.
6/23 Colorado Bike to Work day - drop mileage off at any Boot Doctors
location so carbon calculations can be completed.
6/23 Triplets of Bellville: a movie at the Wilkinson Public Library -
6:00 pm.
6/24 Mtn. Bike Clinics: men & women- all abilities - Oak st. Boot
doctors - 5:30 PM
6/25 Downhill and Freeride bike clinic and demo at the bike park meet
at Telluride Sports at the village core- 10:00 am.
6/25 The TOT Annual Marshals Bike Auction Youth Link @ 3:00 PM
6/26 Bike Maintenance Clinics - Boot Doctors Oak St. and MV - 9-1:00 BBQ
and Electric Bike Demos. 1-3:00 Sponsored by Boot Doctors. Plz. RSVP by
Th. 6/24 5:00
Trail updates:
The Mountain Village Bike Park opened this weekend with a strong group of 30 riders constantly flowing down the tacky trails. All trails are open and more are being routed for construction. Don't forget to check out the insane new rental bikes at both BootDoctors and Telluride Sports in the Village plaza. Now you can travel here with nothing but a sturdy pair of shoes and be set up with everything you need to attack the downhill trails!
Prospect trail is on hold as always until July 1st for elk calving.
Village trail has some water damage in the first few corners, please ride with caution. We will be repairing the damage as soon as we can get it coordinated.
06.09.10 Mountain Village Bike Park Scheduled to open Monday, June 14th
The trails are just about dry with only a few things to fix up before we let everyone loose. Also, this week we'll be looking at the Village Trail in hopes that we can open it on Monday as well. We look forward to seeing you out there, keep an eye on our calendar for upcoming trail work days.
05.25.10 The cycling season has finally arrived!
With the snow receding we are gearing up for a busy season full of projects.
First on the list: the Mountain Village Bike Park is ready for volunteers for many new projects! Starting June 1st we will be prepping all of our existing trails for a mid June opening date. This work includes some minimal trail maintenance and repair work as well as a few connector trail projects. At this time we will also be planning for trail expansion projects to seamlessly roll into new trail construction as the park opens.
Second: the Village and Prospect Trails have received approval for completion! Construction will begin as early as mid June. We'll be sure to keep you posted as dates are clarified.
If you are interested in helping in any of the above projects, contact Trevor to coordinate dates, times etc.
12.24.09 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at SMBA!
Local Updates & Spring Planning
Galloping Goose at Lawson Hill:
Lead by the San Miguel County Open Space and Recreation Program, SMBA is supporting their quest for grant monies to connect the Galloping Goose Trail to the recently completed underpass at Society Turn. This additional trail, amounting to about one mile would include the construction of two bridges and become a critical connection between the Goose and all other local trail networks. It also provides a safe connection linking the ball field to the Mountain School, allowing for safe commute for the children.
Congressional Bill aimed at easier expansion of summer activities at ski areas:
Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz testified before he U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands in Washington to tell members to back the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2009, or House Bill 2476, sponsored by Colorado's Rep. Diana DeGette. Katz argued that, "Ski areas are the perfect place to accommodate these large numbers of forest visitors, and not just in the winter.
While ski areas inspire appreciation for the natural environment, they're also developed areas that are accessible and convenient for visitors." Lauren Glendenning - Vail Daily, Full Story
If the Bill is passed, it is hopeful for ski areas to further develop summer recreation such as mountain bike parks and alpine slides. A positive result being the use of existing infrastructure to accommodate a large number of forest visitors in a manageable way. Being that these ski resorts sit on highly disturbed areas of national forests, it makes ecological sense to develop these areas for summer uses, rather than impacting other areas of more untamed wilderness for mountain activities like downhill mountain biking. This in the long run keeps national forest trails outside the resort boundaries more secluded and peaceful for those that are "getting away from it all."
On the Boards for Spring 2010:
We have several projects in the works for next year. So many in fact we have created a new page to list them all out. Here is a brief overview of what is on tap for 2010:
Construction & Completion of the O'Rileys Trail
Connecting the Prospect and Village Trails with the Village Core
Mapping and signage in the Alta Lakes Basin
Planning and construction of Phase II of the Mountain Village Bike Park
Mill Creek Bridge - Re-visit/Re-design
Assisting the US Forest Service in local trail maintenance.
10.07.09 Fall Tilt results are up! Check them out!
The weather held off just long enough for about 50 competitors to make hundreds of laps down the newly opened Mountain Village Bike Park in hopes to take home the victory for completing the greatest number of laps in a 12 hour time period. The day began cold, the sun just peeking into the trees for the
first time that day. Frost-covered leaves blanketed the slippery trails leading to the bottom. The starting gun was fired at 9:00am and in Le Man’s fashion, an armada of body armor clad athletes ran up a short hill where their bikes awaited them at the top. “It was a romantic experience with my bicycle” as
explained by local Trevor Martin, “The beginning of the day was exciting, our bodies were fresh and eager to get to the bottom of the hill where temperatures were warmer. After about two hours of that, or roughly 8 laps, my excitement dwindled and the fatigue began to set in. From that point on I tried to
maintain an ‘auto pilot’ state of mind and concentrate on hanging on and avoiding the trees. 10 hours and 40 laps later I had just received the best news of the day, it was 5 minutes to nine and this would be my last trip up the cold, dark chairlift. With a minuscule, 20 feet of artificially illuminated trail ahead of me I steered my Intense 951
downhill bike along the well programmed route to the bottom, flying over road gaps, jumps, berms rocks and drops, setting the second fastest lap since the sun had set. With 2nd place locked in, it was time to tend to the swelling in my hands with the aid of an ice cold, frosty beverage. Again, it was like a romantic, or love hate relationship;
exciting at first, routine (with it’s ups and downs) for most of it, and by the end, I didn’t want to touch my bike with a ten foot stick.”
Crested Butte rider, Ryan ‘The Jedi’ Sutton took the victory in the Pro Men Solo category with 51 laps. Local ace Trevor Martin was close on his heels in 2nd place, completing 49 laps as well as posting some of the days fastest lap times. Picking up the 3rd spot on the podium was Tucson rider Dante Harmony,
completing 48 laps. Spouse to Dante, Jacqueline Harmony was the only Pro Female to enter, and still completed a very respectable 31 laps to take her victory. Telluride Local and Mountain Village Bike Park’s biggest contributor Gary Dye managed to break his bike mid-day and finish the remaining out on a borrowed ride. Completing 48 laps, he
landed himself a 2nd in the Cat 1 Solo category. Low Sadhu, a Sedona based rider took the Cat 1 Solo victory, tying Gary with 48 laps but finishing his 48th before Gary secured the victory. Dustin Coker, also of Sedona, took 3rd with a day of riding chainless, completing 43 laps.
In the Pro Duo (2 person team) Category, The World Cup seasoned Buell brothers took turns to complete a combined 52 laps, taking the victory. Cat 1 Duo was won by locals Jake Anderson and Chris Lyons riding for Telluride Sports, with a combined effort to finish 48 laps. Check out the lap summary for full details of individual lap times for each rider/team.
09.14.09 It's Official!
The Mountain Village Bike Park has officially opened! Check out the official press release here.
Also, check out Sunday's news paper article.
SMBA would like to give a big shout out to all who contributed! It has been a monumental achievement and we’re happy to say it was worth every blister, sun burn and days of waking up with a sore back. Thanks to the Town of Mountain Village and all of the respective home owners, Telluride Ski and Golf, S.U.N.R.I.S.E. Inc. Dakine, The Telluride Daily Planet, and of course, big brother - the USFS. Big thanks to Tracks Café and Bar for feeding us and keeping us motivated! And most of important of all, everyone that volunteered their time, even for a couple of hours, to come out and help plan, design, build and ride the park. It wouldn’t have been possible without the over 2,000 hours of labor. We’d like to recognize one individual especially for showing up nearly every day of the 6 week build and really taking these trails to the next level; If you see Gary Dye around town or on the trail, give him a big thanks and a pat on the back! You rock Gary!
Job well done! We’ll see you on trail and the first weekend of October for the Grand Opening, Fall Tilt race, and our BikeTober Fest.
09.10.09 BikeTober Fest!
SMBA is hosting/sponsoring a weekend full of cycling events the first weekend of October! Click here for a schedule and more details.
07.08.09 Mill creek update and more!
To all of our members, the Forest service has just notified us that they have resumed work on the Mill Creek Bridge project. As scheduled before, they will be meeting at the bridge around 9am every morning and working till about 4 or 5pm. They want people to bring rubber waterproof boots and gloves if you have them. They have some gloves and will provide all tools. Initially they will be working in the creek, thus the waterproof boots. Any time that people can spare will help and is appreciated. Please help spread the word to everyone you know. Thanks for your help!
SMBA will be officially hosting a 'bridge wrap up' work day on this Saturday, July 11th. We will see if we can't get Tracks to cater the event as planned before. Bring your self, your family and all your friends and lets put this bridge to bed!
Last but not least, on Monday July 13th, the final Town Council meeting regarding the Mountain Village DH Mountain Bike Park will be held at noon. Come witness history as we get final approval for this long awaited event! The plan is to begin working on the Full Tilt course as soon as the meeting has been adjourned. SMBA will be working with Tony Forest and the Mountain Village Recreation Department on setting up some build days for the other two planned trails.
06.29.09 Mill Creek UPDATE We are all bummed that our project was postponed, thanks to all of you who showed your support.
The forest service will be working on the bridge daily for the remainder of the week till Thursday 06.29-07.02. They will be meeting at the bridge around 9am every morning and working till about 4 or 5pm. They want people to bring rubber waterproof boots and gloves if you have them. They have some gloves and will provide all tools. Initially they will be working in the creek, thus the waterproof boots. Any time that people can spare will help and is appreciated. Please help spread the word to everyone you know. Thanks for your help!
06.06.09: Show your interest for the proposed Downhill Mountain bike park!
Telski, Town of Mountain Village, TMVOA and Tony Forest, with the Mountain Village Recreation department have been working together on a proposal to develop several new trails that would start construction as soon as approvals and permits are secured (Late July). It would be great if we could show that the area residence strongly support the new FREE biking trails. We believe it will help revitalize the MV Core and give everyone more opportunities to enjoy this amazing place we live.
The first meeting to be held is with the Mountain Village Design Review Board on June 11th. The meeting starts at 12:00pm if you can be there in person. I’m not exactly sure when our issue is up on the agenda but will try and get a hold of that info. DRB meets above the Mountain Village fire station. The second important meeting is with the Mountain Village Town Council on July 13th, to determine if the funding will come through. Again, if you can show up in person, please do it! But if you can’t, please take the time to email or send a letter to our Mountain Village Planning Department Director Sally Vecchio. All of the public comments are put before our board and council members, your voice will be heard.
TO EMAIL YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT:
SEND LETTERS TO:
Attn: Sally Vecchio
455 Mountain Village Blvd. Suite A
Mountain Village, CO 81435
05.14.09: Downhill mountain bike park gets preliminary approval from Telski and Forest Service
Good news on the downhill bike front. Forest Service and Telski have given tentative approvals to allow the Town of Mountain Village to build, operate and maintain a downhill park on the mountain. Tony Forrest and his recreation department crew will need obtain a special use permit from Town Council at their June 9th meeting and from DRB on June 11th. In addition TMVO has indicated that they will give a $25,000 grant for the construction of the park. If all this happens, the Ridge Trail will be closed to biking, usage of the park will be free and could be operational by mid July.
05.11.09: State Senate passes bill to improve cycling on colorado highways
Senate Bill 148, sponsored by Rep. Merrifield and Sen. Greg Brophy, will make cycling in Colorado safer. It requires drivers to provide at least three feet of clearance when passing a bicyclist and sets penalties for motorists who endanger cyclists. "One of the great things about Colorado is that so many people love to bike," said Gov. Ritter, noting that he, Rep. Merrifield and Sen. Brophy all are avid cyclists. "But it also means that cyclists and motorists alike must take extra precautions so that we can share the road safely. This new law will enhance safety for everyone."
:: © San Miguel Bicycle Alliance 2010 :: A Thanks to those who support us
